TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new bill making its way through the Florida Legislature seeks to make big changes in the state’s education system.
That bill — HB 1071 — was filed early last month by state Rep. Dana Trabulsy (R-Ft. Pierce), though it’s been amended a few times since then.
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One of the most notable changes in the bill, though, is a new requirement for health classes in grades 6-12.
This involves instruction on human embryologic and fetal development, with the following mandated features:
- Ultrasound Video: Must include a high-definition, medically accurate ultrasound video showing the development of the heart and other organs, as well as movement of the limbs and head
- Human Development: Must include high-quality, medically accurate, computer-generated rendering, animation, video or other multimedia showing the process of fertilization and various stages of human development in the uterus
- Opt-Out: Parents may opt their children out of viewing the required videos
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. HB 1071 aims to make far more changes than that, in part thanks to all of the amendments that have been slapped on it since it was first filed.
The bill has already made it to the House floor, and it’s expected to undergo a vote on Wednesday. That said, there are still plenty of other amendments that lawmakers have filed to modify the bill, so it may see even more changes by the end of the week.
As of Feb. 23, though, the bill includes the following provisions:
- Math Classes: Requires school districts to put together a comprehensive plan for mathematics instruction with the following features:
- Extra time each day for intensive math instruction for students K-12, which may be delivered during or outside the regular school day
- Highly qualified math coaches to support certain classroom teachers in making instruction decisions based on progress monitoring data
- Tutoring in mathematics
- Parental Rights: Parents may exempt their children from instruction related to embryology and HIV/AIDs
- Instructional Materials: Allows the Education Commissioner to remove any non-compliant instructional materials of a publisher from the list of state-adopted instructional materials
- Other Powers: The commissioner may also prevent these publishers from being able to offer more instructional materials in the subject areas in which the violation occurred for up to five years
- Written Notice: If this happens, the FDOE must provide written notice identifying the alleged violation and give the publisher at least 30 days to respond and propose corrective action
- Attendance Problems: Districts may address nonattendance earlier than required by law, and requires districts to annually report rates of chronic absenteeism for K-5 students
- Chronic Absenteeism: Defined as a student who has been absent for at least 10% of school days, or the same classes required for grade promotion, when enrolled for over 45 days
- Underperforming Districts: Requires the FDOE to annually identify school districts in need of intervention and support
- Support Metric: Districts are considered in need of support if 10% or more of its schools earn a school grade of “D” or “F”
- Improvement Plans: Districts in need of improvement must submit an improvement plan each year, focusing on instructional staff; professional learning; fiscal/staffing resources; and student scheduling, attendance, and behavior
- Door Locks: Removes authorization for schools to use temporary door locks during active assailant incidents to address unintended safety concerns
- Transfer Students: Requires a school resource officer to be notified and given pertinent records when a transfer student’s file contains verified reports of serious, recurring behavioral patterns
- Educational Emergencies: School boards may adopt salary incentives for persistently low-performing schools outside of collective bargaining in response to an educational emergency
- Charter Schools: Prohibits charter schools from dismissing students based on academic performance if the schools are currently implementing a school improvement plan
- Scholarship Program: Family Empowerment Scholarship students receiving the scholarship based on their disability (FES-UA) can satisfy their private school participation requirement through regular and direct contact at the school’s physical location at least two days per week
- Discrimination Rules: Public and charter schools may not spend money on groups that discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or religion; or on programs that promote DEI, or political or social activism
- Exemption: Exempts expenditures for student-led organizations or activities that are necessary to comply with federal/state law
- Advisory Councils: Removes requirements that district and school advisory councils be representative of the ethnic, racial and economic community served by the school
- FHSAA Membership: Amends the membership of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Public Liaison Advisory Committee, replacing the requirement that the school principal be a minority with a rule that the principal be a former high school coach or athlete
- Epinephrine Carry: Students at risk for life-threatening allergic reactions may carry and self-administer epinephrine through any FDA-approved delivery device, as opposed to only auto-injectors
- Summer Programs: Expands eligibility for the VPK summer bridge program by including any student who scored below the 25th percentile of the final administration of the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system, instead of the 10th percentile